No Stars
by MagicInMe123
Summary: "You wanna go full dark no stars, Veronica? I'm with you." And Veronica was sure she'd never felt butterflies in her stomach before, but in that moment, there was an eruption. Or, the one where things with Chuck went a little further than we saw on the show.
1. Chapter 1

Betty Cooper could count the number of times she'd truly felt her heart drop into her stomach on one hand. The first was when she was 7 years old and her parents informed both her and her sister that their grandfather had passed away. The second was earlier this year when she came home to find Polly, her possessions, and all traces of her sister erased from her home. The third and most recent time was after the dance, when she'd confronted Archie about her feelings for him and the devastating aftermath that accompanied his confession.

The fourth time was when she opened up her phone to see a photo of Veronica, her _best friend,_ looking stunning as ever aside Chuck Clayton, save for the glop of maple syrup that had been edited on to her face. Her heart fell straight through her chest and must've banged every organ on the way down because by the time it reached her stomach, a thick pool of dread had already formed. She slammed her locker shut, earning Kevin's attention. He glanced up from his own phone – he had yet to scroll deep enough to see the picture – and raised his eyebrows at his blonde best friend.

"Betty? What's happening?" He asked inquisitively as he watched her shove her remaining books into her bag and take off down the hallway.

"Later," she called out over her shoulder.

The blonde raced through the school ignoring the probing looks from all her classmates, including Cheryl Blossom, and quickly arrived at the River Vixen's locker room. It was her best guest as to where her friend would go seeing as the room was locked and vacated during school hours. As a member of the squad, Betty had the code to the door's lock. As she was standing just outside the door, the blonde took a moment to catch her breath before entering. Veronica could be in any kind of mood, maybe she wasn't affected by it; after all, the raven haired girl probably didn't even know what a sticky maple was. But before her positive thinking could escalate too much, the familiar dread pool rose up a little higher in the stomach and threatened to make itself more known. She just had a feeling that something very, very bad had happened.

Before any more hesitation-inducing thoughts could enter her mind, Betty punched in the 4 number code and quickly rushed into the locker room. The door closed behind her with a booming slam, costing her any element of surprise.

"Veronica?" Betty called into the black space. She frowned when she heard nothing in response. No crying, no sniffles, not even the sound of breathing filled the room. She turned to her left and quickly flipped the switch, flooding the room with light. To her own disappointed, the room was empty.

She sighed, flipped the switch off and reentered the hallway. She glanced around the small Riverdale High hallways and noticed that her shorter friend was not among the many faces in the crowd.

The warning bell sounded, signaling that she needed to get to her second class of the day, one she shared with Veronica. She pulled out her phone and sent the other girl a quick text, asking her where she was and if she was okay. She trudged on to her next class and took her usual seat next to Kevin. The stylish boy was wrapped up in a conversation with Moose, who was currently leaning on the table in front of her friend and murmuring in the other boy's ear. Kevin was laughing quietly and didn't even notice the vixen take her seat.

"Alright class we've got lots to cover today so we're going to dive right into it…" their teacher began, firing up her staff computer. Betty tried desperately to copy down notes and pay attention to the lesson but no matter how hard she tried; one thing dominated all her thoughts.

Veronica never showed.

* * *

Betty walked through the rest of her day like a zombie, completely glued to her phone and only speaking when spoken to. By this time she was beyond worried; Veronica had replied to none of her texts, calls, or voicemails. As the day drug by, more and more buzz about Veronica had become apparent and by lunch time, everyone knew Chuck's version of his latest conquest in the form of the former New York socialite.

She restlessly glanced at the clock again, only 15 more minutes before she could get out of here and find her girl.

" _Your girl?"_ Betty thought incredulously to herself. _"Last month you were heartbroken over Archie Andrews and now all of the sudden Veronica is yours?"_

The blonde quickly brushed those thoughts off; now wasn't the time for an internal gay panic. As she preemptively began packing her stuff, Betty was pulled from her internal conflict by the ginger boy himself. He nudged her gently with her arm and cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Are you okay?" he mouthed, his warm eyes studying her for a hint of what was causing the distress.

She nodded before the question even registered in her mind, as her Mother had taught her to. The boy looked unimpressed with her answer and simply raised his eyebrows at her. She sighed.

"I'm fine. Just worried for V," she mouthed back, mindful of her teacher still lecturing in the front of the classroom. Understanding flooded Archie's features and nodded in solidarity. "Me too," he murmured, returning his attention to his phone where she guessed, he was probably trying to reach the Latina too.

Betty was sure she'd never been gladder to hear the end of school bell as she was on this particular Thursday. She threw her bag over her shoulder and darted out of the front of the school so quickly she was sure she'd attracted more attention. She quickly unlocked her car, slid in, and zipped out of the parking lot, like a heat seeking missile to Veronica's apartment.

The blonde must've broken nearly every traffic law there is trying to get to her friend faster but luckily the police were so engrossed in their investigation, finally something she could thank the Blossoms for, to notice her poor driving. Only minutes later she arrived at the parking lot; she threw the car in park in the first spot she saw and jumped out of the car, barley remembering to lock it on the way out. She nearly tripped up the steps and immediately starting ringing the apartment's doorbell.

"Ronnie!" she called, banging gently between rings. "I know you're in there I just want to make sure you're okay."

She was met with silence.

The older girl huffed, she knew that Veronica could be stubborn when she wanted to but she was guessing the brunette didn't realize just how stubborn she could be.

"I'm not going anywhere until I see you," she promised. "Seriously I can stay out here all night."

More silence.

"God I hope I don't have to though, it's getting really cold and I don't have a jacket with me," she trailed off, trying a different approach.

To Betty's – and to be honest Veronica's too – shock, the door swung open to reveal the raven-haired girl leaning against the doorframe; the room was as dark as it could be considering the sun was out and her face was hidden in the shadows.

"Finally! Jesus V, I've been worried sick about you. Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Betty fired off.

"Betty…" Veronica croaked out, taking a step backward to ensure her face remained hidden as long as possible.

The blonde faltered. She'd never heard the other girl's voice so hoarse and defeated, not even during her apology or attempts to win her friendship back after the Archie closet incident.

"Ronnie what's wrong? What happened?" she asked, urgency creeping into her tone.

"You said you wouldn't leave until you saw me. You saw me. Now please, just go," the younger girl pleaded, retreating more as Betty stepped further into her living room.

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on. What _happened_ last night with Chuck? Why weren't you in school today?" She said fiercely. The blonde was frustrated by her friend's lack of willingness to clue her in. Did Veronica not trust her? Were they not as close as she thought?

"Nothing happened," she said hastily. "I just wasn't feeling well today so I stayed home and my cell's probably dead. I forgot to charge it last night."

"You're lying to me," Betty accused. "Why are you lying to me?"

Without giving the shorter girl a chance to respond, she reached out with her left hand and quickly flipped on the light switch, and ignoring the twisting feelings in her gut that told her she might not want to do that. Light bathed the room and Betty inhaled sharply, shock overtaking her system completely.

"I'm going to _kill_ him."

* * *

 **Hi so I've been reading a lot of Betty/Veronica stories and I thought I'd try my hand at my own. It seems like in most of them, Betty is in trouble and Veronica is there for her so I thought it would be fun to try the opposite. Full disclosure, I'm only on the 6** **th** **episode of the first season so if I say something that isn't entirely correct and something that is different than the first season, that's why. SO if you would be interested in reading more of this it would be super cool and nice of you to leave a review with thoughts, comments, suggestions, whatever you want. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Despite herself, and the situation, Veronica chuckled lightly.

"Come on Bets, you know you can't say stuff like that in this town," she chided jokingly.

Betty however, was unamused. Her attention was caught on trying to process the picture her eyes were seeing right now. The raven haired girl had, most noticeably, a split lip, one black eye, several scratch marks down her neck, and the thing that brought bile to the taller girl's throat, a series of very dark, very painful looking hickies trailing down her neck. She was unable to access any further damage her best friend had taken because all remaining skin was carefully covered by an NYU sweatshirt and a pair of black leggings.

"V…" she trailed off, truly at a loss for words.

"It looks at lot worse than it is," Veronica said softly, reaching out to intercept one of Betty's hands as she gently reached for her face.

"How can you say that?" she asked, getting upset with the raven haired girl's casualness. "He fucking attacked you and all you have to say is 'it looks worse than it is?'"

"I'm a Lodge, we have a high tolerance for pain," she smiled sadly.

Betty shook her head, growing frustrated with Veronica's ability to deflect. She looked down at their intertwined hands and used them to pull the shorter girl to the couch. She sat down, tugging the other girl with her and rested their hands together on her lap. The blonde had always known that Veronica was very, very good at keeping things -particularly emotions- hidden when she needed to. During the entire 'Ethel incident' she had been too focused on what was going on with her sister, dealing with Archie's Cheryl drama, and her only family stuff to notice that Veronica was literally falling apart in front of her. Of course she'd asked the other girl a few times if everything was alright when she noticed her poking her food around at lunch instead of eating it or when she got lost looking at the ground too long to be just zoned out but each time the raven haired girl assured her it was a lack of sleep or simply boredom. She had never been less grateful for this particular skill on Veronica's than she was just then.

"Ronnie tell me what happened, please?" she begged gently. She brought her other hand around with the intention of gently stroking the other girl's hair in what she hoped would be a soothing way but before her hand could complete its journey, Veronica flinched violently out of her reach.

Time froze.

"Ronnie…" she said in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," the brunette stuttered. "I guess I just w-wasn't expecting you to do that."

The blonde desperately tried to push past the feelings of hurt and devastation that were currently choking off her air supply. It felt like her hand was made of lead as it stayed frozen in mid air. Veronica had always been very touchy with Betty, so much so that she'd made out with her upon one of their first meetings. The girl who fiercely protected her against bullies, her mom, and her own insecurities was sitting right there and the taller girl couldn't quite believe she'd missed the fact that everything she ever wanted in a romantic partner had been right in front of her the entire time. But the one time Veronica needed her protection, she failed her.

"I need you to tell me what Chuck did to you," she said seriously.

"Nothing B, it was just a bad date and I didn't feel great when I woke up so I stayed home," she fibbed, her voice steady.

"I'm not stupid, Veronica. I can see the scratches, the bruises, and the hickies. I'm not leaving this couch until you tell me what happened last night."

The girl sighed again, hoping if she made her distaste for the current conversation apparent enough, the manners that Betty's mom had all but drilled into her head since birth would come into play and offer her reprieve. Much to her disappointment, the blonde seemed unphased by her clear discomfort.

"Ronnie when we first met," Betty began softly. "You told me to trust you. And I did, without a second thought. You've been there for me through everything this year from my parents, to Polly, to Archie, to Jughead. We've been through so much together. Have I done something to make you feel like you can't trust me?"

Betty knew the guilt card was kind of a low blow, but she needed the truth and this might be the only way she was going to convince Veronica to open up.

"You don't understand Betty," she groaned. "It doesn't have anything to do with you. If I was in trouble, I would come to you but I can take care of myself so trust me when I say that this is not a big deal."

"You have a fucking black eye!" Betty shouted, uncharacteristically losing her temper. "In what world is that not a big deal?"

Veronica opened her mouth to reply, eyes wide with shock but Betty cut her off before she could start.

"It's so simple V. I saw you yesterday at school; you were your usual beautiful, vibrant self. You went out on one date with Chuck," she spat his name out with disgust. "And all of the sudden you're missing school and covered in marks. I can do the math."

"Bets you know how clumsy I can be. Last night I was just-," she began.

"Do not," she hissed, venom dripping from her words. "Insult my intelligence by telling me that you 'fell' or had some type of accident. You don't get hickies and black eyes from falling down the stairs Veronica. If you don't want to tell me the truth, I can't force it out of you. But don't lie to me."

A wave of guilt rushed over the brown-eyed girl. Suddenly she felt ashamed that she was going to such elaborate lengths and genuinely upsetting her best friend in an effort to what? Protect Chuck? Save herself the embarrassment of having to admit that she's a victim now? _'Besides_ ,' she thought to herself. _'If I can't be honest with my best friend who can I tell the truth to?_ '

Sensing the other girl's inner turmoil, Betty reached over with exaggerated movements, giving the other girl plenty of time to react accordingly, and intertwined their fingers once again. The blonde frowned as she took in her friend's rigid posture and the tension clearly keeping her muscles coiled tightly as if she would need to up and run at any given moment. In an attempt to sooth her, she began rubbing slow, gentle circles on the back of her hand using her thumb.

"I know that you have a hard time trusting people, especially with everything that happened with your Dad and what's currently happening with your Mom. But I'm not going to hurt you V; I just need you to give me a chance to prove it." Betty said softly.

A light blush rose up Veronica's cheeks. Betty made it so hard to keep her feelings in check and not profess her love for the blonde in moments like this.

"Please?" Betty whispered, her warm breath tickling the tan skin of her cheek. She placed a light kiss on the brunette's forehead and gently brushed a stray hair away from her eyes.

And with that, Veronica caved.

"It seemed like every other date I've ever been on. He came to the apartment in his nice car, opened the door for me, and told me I looked beautiful. Textbook gentleman," she said, almost wistfully. "We went to Pop's, he ordered us burgers and milkshakes and fries to split."

 _'Fries to split_?' Betty thought to herself. ' _Clearly this guy doesn't know the first thing about Veronica_.'

The blonde nodded encouragingly and continued her soothing thumb circles in an effort to keep the other girl in the moment.

"After dinner we went to his car and just talked. I actually thought he was a good guy," Veronica muttered, starting to get choked up at the end. The blonde tightened her grip protectively.

"He said w-we should go somewhere more private just to talk. He seemed so s-sweet and I thought I could handle him even if it was just a front but he drove us to Sweetwater River and you kn-now no one goes there anymore since J-Jason," Veronica was cut off by a violent sob that made its way out of her throat without her permission. Her shoulders began to shake and tears poured out of her brown eyes without warning.

"Oh Ronnie," Betty whispered. Without hesitation, she reached over and pulled the slightly younger girl into her arms and sat her casually on her lap. This time, much to her relief, Veronica willingly accepted her touch and even leaned into it. She whispered comforts in her ears as one arm wrapped tightly around the brunette's waist and the other rubbed soothing patterns on her quivering back.

"Shhh, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," Betty murmured. The action sent a shiver down the spine of the head cheerleader. Betty chalked it up to a sob wracking through her body but the Lodge knew that it was Betty's close proximity and the effect of her soothing and unintentionally seductive voice.

When Veronica had calmed down to what Betty deemed was an acceptable level of upset, she gently wiped any stray tears from her crush's tan skin and pressed a light kiss to her cheek.

"What happened at the river?" she asked.

"You're a smart girl Betty, I think you can figure it out," The shorter girl snapped. She immediately regretted it after she made the mistake of looking at Betty and seeing the hurt expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly. "It's just hard to talk about. Like I'm so embarrassed and I'm so angry with myself for letting this happen.

"Don't say that," Betty all but spat icily. "I don't ever want to hear you blame yourself for what that monster did. Ever again."

Tears had already begun to brim in the raven haired girl's eyes once again and the taller girl felt her heart start to crack at the sight of her usually so strong friend in such a state. The blonde couldn't stop her mind from racing has she mentally tried to piece together all the events from that night. The bruises, the hickies, the lack of wanting to be touched and the several layers protecting her body all added up in Betty's mind. As nauseous as the thought made her, Betty knew that she needed to ask her friend the question currently burning in her throat.

"Ronnie I need to know," she said softly. "Did he…?"

A hot flash of shame hit Veronica's body like a shock wave. There was no avoiding such a straightforward implication. And once she said it out loud, once she told her best friend, there was no burying it; no pretending it didn't happen and certainly no paying a price to make it go away.

With hot tears flooding her cheeks and shaking hands, Veronica nodded solemnly.

"Yes."

 **I usually write chapters that are longer than these ones have been so the next chapter might take some more time but it'll definitely be longer. Will Betty and Veronica ever get it together and discuss their feelings for each other? Or is this new life-altering bump in the road going to be too much for Betty and scare her away? I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.**

 **Thank you ever for the kudos and comments and support you guys are seriously amazing.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So there are definitely some timing issues in this story, it follow the show's story line very closely but it's as if the incident with Chuck happened towards the end of the season in the beginning. I know that after her date with Chuck, half the stuff in this chapter that happened in Veronica's life hadn't happened yet so bare with me.**

Ever since Veronica had plopped herself down next to her in the seating area of their high school longue room and announced to the group that she had a date with Chuck Clayton, a bitter taste had taken up residence in Betty's mouth and a bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. The blonde couldn't explain (at the time, anyway) why this bothered her so much. She hadn't even been this bothered when Archie started dating Valerie. Chuck was relatively harmless, according to what the writer knew of his reputation. Sure he was a player and not exactly a stand-up guy but he was certainly attractive and Veronica deserved to be happy. If Chuck could do that, then Betty would just have to bare her trepidation in silence. The sinking feeling she'd felt a few days ago had absolutely nothing on the pit of lava that she was experiencing now.

"Oh Ronnie," she breathed. Tears had sprung into her cornflower blue eyes and they fell without reprieve as she absorbed what her best friend had just told her.

"I just feel so disgusted w-with myself," the cheerleader sobbed. "He said h-he could tell that I wanted him."

Betty felt her heart splinter even more with each word the brunette spoke. She would have given anything to lift some of the pain her friend was feeling in that moment.

"You have _nothing_ to be ashamed of babe," The young Cooper said fiercely. "He is the one who should be ashamed of himself."

As horrible as it was recounting the events of the previous night to her best friend, Veronica couldn't prevent an eruption of butterflies from happening in her stomach when Betty called her babe. She probably hadn't even realized that she said it, Veronica reasoned. But on the other hand, what if these feelings weren't quite as one-sided as she thought?

"Thank you," Veronica sniffled quietly. "For being here for me and listening. I have no idea what I would ever do without you."

Betty smiled and Veronica was completely hypnotized by it. She seemed to realize how intimate their position was with her sitting on the blonde and their arms wrapped tightly around one another. A hot blush rose up to her cheeks as she shifted slightly to give Betty some room to breathe.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to go full Koloa on you."

"Please," Betty scoffed, pulling the other girl back into her arms but stayed mindful of the bruises that undoubtedly lived under her clothes. "I love Koloa-Ronnie. She's kinda my favorite."

They sat in a peaceful silence as Betty absentmindedly drew soft patterns on the smaller girl's back. Veronica felt a lot of tension she'd been harboring for the past day and a half seep out of her in a way that only the blonde could have accomplished.

"Ronnie, where's your Mom?" Betty asked softly. "Does she know about…what happened?"

And just like that, the tension in her bones was back.

"She's…unavailable," she answered tersely.

Betty immediately noticed the change in her crush's demeanor and realized that she'd tapped a nerve. The blonde fought a mental war about whether or not to push the other girl. She felt bad that she'd already caused Veronica to become extremely upset in her retelling of what happened and now she was forcing her to discuss her family which was, more often than not, a delicate topic.

The former socialite could feel the blonde biting back the slew of questions she'd undoubtedly thought of in the minute and a half of silence they'd both just endured.

"I don't," she huffed, trying to choose her words carefully. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable. But if there's something going on with your parents you can talk to me."

"Bets you have enough to worry about with your sister and your parents and running the paper with Jughead and I don't-,"

"Veronica," Betty said softly, with a hint of the brunette's favorite you're-so-hopeless smile. " _None_ of that is more important to me than you."

Veronica never ceased to be amazed by Betty's uncanny ability to know just what to say to her and more than that, how to say it. Her Dad always knew what to say; to her, to her mother, to the cops that had gotten wind of his dealings. Hiram Lodge always knew what to say until one day, he didn't. Even her own mother certainly had a way with words; they way she'd attempted to break the news of her affair with Fred Andrews slipped off her silver tongue in the most appeasing way possible but that had done little to deter her daughter from feeling sick at the news. But Betty, her words dripped of sincerity. She didn't speak like anyone could be listening and she needed to sound perfect. She didn't try to manipulate and intimidate and shape Veronica into a mold that she no longer had interest in fitting. Betty's words were like her favorite cashmere sweater: comforting and warm and exactly right for the occasion.

It was because of this that the brunette decided she would try to trust someone else, just one more time.

"My Mom," she cleared her throat, attempting to keep the emotions running rampant through her from seeping into her tone. "Has been cheating on my Dad with Fred Andrews."

Betty couldn't bite back the gasp that flew past her lips or contain her free hand covering her mouth in shock. She had a million questions, but she did not interrupt.

"It's kind of a long story so I'll try to keep things simple. My Dad bought the drive-in. It was the last deal he made before…you know and he sunk all of our remaining assets into it. My Mom has some weird history with Archie's Dad from high school I guess," she sighed, wishing she were describing someone's life instead of her own.

"She chose him. She awarded Archie's Dad the construction contract as the anonymous buyer but in order to do that, she needed two members of the board to sign off."

"Of the board?" Betty asked softly. "How is there still a board if your Dad is…?"

Veronica grinned bitterly, damn her girl was smart. "You're exactly right. There is no board, just my parents and before the company went down, my mother added my name. She asked me to sign the contract over to Mr. Andrew's because she knew my Dad wouldn't approve. I said no. My Dad isn't a great person. I know that. But he's still my Dad and he doesn't deserve this."

Feeling the smaller girl start to get worked up, Betty casually slipped her arm that wasn't currently curled around Veronica's waist into her perfectly manicured hand, squeezing it for reassurance.

"My mom forged my signature on the contract and that's why my whole 'clubbing incident' happened," she explained sheepishly.

A flash of guilt washed over the young writer as she recalled how wrapped up in her own problems she'd been. She had heard about the clubbing from Kevin and had no idea that so much was going on her with her friend because she'd never bothered to ask or look beneath the happiness she'd suspected was a façade.

"My mom and I played out our standoff and I agreed to stop being so 'old Veronica' if she would tell my Dad about what happened. I couldn't have him thinking I betrayed him," she said fiercely.

"We called my Dad and he took it about as well as I expected him to. He was livid but I could tell he didn't want to yell in front of me so he and my mom arranged for her to go back to New York and visit him in prison with his lawyer, where they'd have time to talk about their relationship and the legal repercussions of what happened," she finished.

"I don't even know what to say," the older girl said, shell-shocked. "Ronnie why didn't you come to me? I know that you think I've been busy but God, I would've made time for you if I'd known. I could've been there for you."

"Bets there isn't anything you could've done," Veronica reasoned. "It wouldn't do any good to bring you or anyone else down into the doldrums with me so I kept it to myself. And I trust you, but the walls have ears and this is a small town. If there was even a slight chance that this information fell into the wrong hands then I couldn't risk it."

"You shouldn't have to face all of this alone."

"That might be true," she smiled sadly. "But it's kind of always been that way and it doesn't seem like it can change. I don't want to put you in danger."

But the blonde was already shaking her head. "No that's bullshit."

The brunette flinched, Betty hardly ever swore.

"You have _me_ now. No more of this go-it-alone I'm a lone wolf crap. I am your best friend."

Both girls wilted just a little bit on the inside at the category of best friend. Veronica was starting to get the impression that maybe her feelings weren't entirely unrequited based on their interactions, Betty's vehement denial of any lingering feelings for Archie, or any romantic ones for Jughead. But Betty was terrified of upsetting the younger girl in light of what had just happened and Veronica didn't want to burden the other girl with her recovery.

The blonde noticed the dark circles that had taken up residence under Veronica's usually very bright chocolate orbs. She looked exhausted.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" She questioned gently.

Before her brain could even process the question Veronica's instincts kicked in and she nodded her head, "I'm fine."

"Ronnie," Betty admonished.

The socialite let out a deep sigh and shrugged, "I guess it was a little hard to sleep last night."

"Hard or impossible?" the blonde snorted.

Veronica cracked a grin; that was her girl, always getting to the truth.

"You should get some sleep," Betty encouraged when it became clear that she wasn't getting a verbal response.

Veronica nodded in response, "You're probably right. I'll try but I can't promise good results."

"Do you want me to sta-?" Betty began but was cut off by a forceful "No!" from the other girl. Puzzled, she cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Sorry," a flush coated Veronica's cheeks. "Just, I think I should sleep by myself tonight. Really. But sleepover this weekend?"

"Of course," Betty agreed easily. She tried desperately to keep the hurt from seeping into her expression but if the look in Veronica's eyes was anything to go on, she hadn't done a very good job.

The younger girl wanted desperately to tell Betty to stay but ever since she was a child, whenever anything bad happened to her – granted not too many horrible things had happened before – she had violent night terrors and that was not something she wished for anyone, even her mother, to see. As badly as she wanted to curl up in a warm cocoon of her best friend's arms, she knew that it was too dangerous for the other girl and she couldn't be that selfish. At the very least she wanted to explain, the pair was already on delicate ground as they both tried to figure out how the other felt. She definitely didn't want the blonde to take this as a sign that she wasn't interested; but she wasn't ready to take the risk. Betty no doubt already thought she was broken, what if the fact that she was too much of a freak to even sleep in the same bed as someone else was the final straw for the blonde?

"Walk me to school tomorrow?" Veronica asked lightly. She tightened her hold on the other cheerleader as it dawned on her that the other girl would have to leave her soon.

"Ronnie…" She paused, trying to phrase it gently. "I don't feel good about leaving you here alone after everything that's happened."

The raven haired girl smiled at Betty's consideration for her. "I'll be fine. I'm just going to get some sleep and try to forget about it."

The blonde frowned knowing that her chosen path of avoidance would not work out in the long run but she chose not to comment and pick a fight and acquiesced to the other girl's request.

Much to their mutual disappointment, the girls untangled themselves from their embrace and walked slowly to the door. Veronica made sure not to let go of Betty's hand for a second.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" she whispered, her warm breath tickling Veronica's cheeks.

And _God,_ if it didn't take everything in her not to say no to that.

"I'm sure," she breathed. It felt wrong; to want Betty this way in light of what happened. Shouldn't she be repulsed by the very idea of physical contact with anyone? What the fuck was _wrong_ with her that she could still feel this way after what Chuck did to her.

Betty could see the internal war that raged on inside the brunette but chose again not to push her anymore tonight.

"Okay," she nodded. "But you call me if you need anything. I mean it, even if you just want a voice on the other end of the line."

Tears sprung into the shorter girl's eyes, much to her embarrassment. She was beyond touched by Betty's compassion for her and it made her feelings for the other girl swell larger than she thought possible.

"Thank you," she choked out.

The blonde nodded once and leaned forward; slowly, she placed a delicate kiss on the brunette's cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered.

In with that, Veronica's saving grace was gone and she was left alone with her thoughts and memories.

 **Hi it's me again. I'm not sure if I'm doing a good job timing their growing relationship with dealing with what happened to Veronica but she's pretty deep in denial rn so eventually Betty will get her to crack just not yet. Obviously our girl V has some self-esteem issues going on rn and those will have to dealt with if she and Betty ever want a real chance. ALSO on the timeline subject, I know that Veronica's Dad isn't a good guy and that'll come to light later but for the purpose of this story, at this point in time, Veronica doesn't know her Dad is a bad dude and he hasn't threatened her and her Mom yet.**

 **But if anyone has anything that they'd really like to see happen/suggestions for the timeline I'm totally open to it.**

 **Thanks for reading and for the reviews! Seriously you guys are so sweet I love you all.**


	4. Chapter 4

As predicted, attempting to get any sleep that night was every bit the hell Veronica expected it to be. She tossed and turned all night with no amnesty from her demons. The brunette was almost grateful in a way, no sleep also meant no night terrors and those she could certainly do without. She finally gave up completely at 6 am when the sun started to peek out at her from behind her blinds. She slowly rose from the bed and slinked into the bathroom.

She disrobed as gracefully as her current physical state would allow. When she'd finally rid herself of the pajamas she'd been wearing, she turned to face the shower and switch the water on hot when she sucked in a harsh breath. An onslaught of memories flooded her mind.

She'd taken a shower immediately after she'd gotten away from Chuck.

" _I told you you'd enjoy it Princess," Chuck smirked at her as he pulled his boxers back up around his waist. The young girl was half curled in on herself as she mentally tried to assess any injuries she'd sustained while trying to fight back before she accepted her fate and relented in an effort to get out as relatively unscathed as possible._

" _Now, remember what I said," he continued, as if he wasn't talking to someone nearly catatonic. "Our little secret. We wouldn't want anymore knowing you put out on the first date, right?" He winked at her._

 _Veronica nearly heaved as she felt the bile creep up out of her stomach and into her throat. She wanted more than anything to release the vile substance and get the disgusting taste of him out of her mouth but she kept it down, refusing to give the boy the satisfaction of knowing how deeply he'd damaged her._

 _As she redressed herself on autopilot, Veronica wondered what would happen next. How would she get home? Chuck had picked her up in his car and surely her rapist wouldn't offer her a ride home?_

 _But before she could get too deep into thought about it, Chuck had already exited the back seat and returned to his place behind the wheel and turned on the engine. Pure fear and panic struck Veronica's core. Where was he taking her? Was he going to kill her to keep quiet?_

 _The handsome jock must have seen the unadulterated panic on her face because he chuckled again. "Relax, I'm taking you home. Can't have you all worn out for next time right?"_

 _He quickly pulled out of the Sweetwater River parking lot he'd taken them to under the guise of wanting to get to know her on a deeper level without interruptions._

 _She held out for as much of the journey as she could, but this time, Veronica was unable to keep her composure. She threw up violently in the backseat of Chuck's very expensive car. The brunette felt like she was dying as predominantly stomach acid wretched itself from her body. Now just a few blocks from her apartment, Chuck slammed on his brakes and spun around._

" _You stupid bitch!" he growled at her._

" _Get the fuck out of my car," he demanded, as he too exited the vehicle. Not seeing any other option, the brunette did as he requested._

 _He roughly grabbed her by the bicep and dragged her behind the nearest apartment complex._

" _What the fuck is wrong with you?" he demanded, throwing her with all his strength into the wall. She landed with a hard thud and Veronica was sure that she'd have a deep, ugly bruise to show for it._

" _Seriously you're a mute now?" the boy mocked. His fury took over and he slammed her head back into the wall powerfully and before she had time to recover from that he punched her painfully, earning her a spit lip and what she was sure would be a black eye. As she laid on the ground he delivered a swift yet less powerful kick to her ribcage, enough to knock the wind out of her and leave bruises but definitely not break the bones, she self-assessed._

" _Look at you, you're disgusting," his spat, hate in his eyes. "Covered in your own sick and now your own blood. Get out of my sight before I do something we both regret."_

 _If the violence she'd just endured wasn't categorized as 'something he'd regret' than Veronica sure as hell did not want to know what did fall into that category. As painful as it was, she forced herself into a standing position and took off in a quick walking pace. The cheerleader was completely disoriented and her head was spinning from what she assumed was possibly a concussion from her head hitting the wall. She didn't pause for even a second to gather herself; she just kept going, promising herself that she could fall apart safely in the confines of her own apartment._

 _After what seemed like an eternity, the New Yorker snuck into her building through the back entrance to avoid Smithers and his questions that she wouldn't be able to answer._

 _The second she shut her door behind her, she attempted to shed herself of the silk cage that was her dress and she beelined straight for the shower, pleading with herself to just hold it together until she could get under the cleansing spray._

 _There, when she was finally alone and away from her tormentor, Veronica allowed herself to break down and she sobbed openly, broken on her shower floor._

Shuddering at the memory, Veronica opted for a quick shower and didn't allow herself to dwell on the memories she'd made during her most recent bathing. She was extremely careful to wash her ribs with the utmost care and she kept the water at a lukewarm temperature. Too much steam, as she'd learned, upset her head and in light of her possible concussion, she wanted to be as careful as possible. When she'd finished every other part of her shower, she mindlessly reached out for the coconut and vanilla body wash. She lathered gently all down her arms and stomach but as she continued to wash using muscle memory, her hands came to an abrupt halt just before they would have washed her most intimate areas. Tears sprang into her eyes and she found herself unable to complete her shower; she was fearful of both the physical and emotion pain she'd unlock. Immediately she washed all the soap off of her and practically jumped out of the shower.

The brunette wanted to allow herself to be swallowed by her bed. She did not want to face the day; she did not want to go to Riverdale High where she knew Chuck would be, and most of all she did not want to face Betty when she wasn't able to hold herself together. She was a Lodge for God's sakes; her parents would be so disappointed in how weak she was being.

No, Lodges didn't back down and they didn't hide from anything. With that in mind, Veronica got dressed, caked on the makeup to hide as much of the bruising and hickies as she possibly could, and began her walk to Betty's house.

Sleep didn't come any easier for the blonde; she laid awake torturing herself by mentally replaying Veronica's confession in her mind on a loop. How could she let this happen? She knew that Chuck was a playboy and she hadn't even warned her best friend. The Lodge was new to town and could not have known much of anything about Chuck's reputation but Betty was so overwhelmingly jealous that her crush was going on a date with someone else; she sat there in silence while the other girl coyly informed them of their plan for the night.

When she finally did finally succumb to sleep, she knew that she wouldn't be getting much as she had to be up for school in less than 4 hours.

Sure enough just a few hours later, the beeps that erupted from her alarm clock shattered Betty's deep sleep and alerted her that it was time to face the day. The writer sat up slowly and stretched her limbs before climbing out of bed. She quickly slipped into the shower, brushed her teeth, and threw her hair up into her signature pony tail.

As she was choosing a sweater to match her white button down top and dark blue jeans, her doorbell rang. The blonde furrowed her eyebrows in confusion; her Dad had already left for work at The Register and as far as she knew, her Mother and Polly were inside the house as well. Maybe Jughead had come to walk her to school? Or possibly Archie?

' _Oh crap, Archie,"_ Betty thought to herself. A sense of dread washed over her as she realized there was basically no chance that the raven haired girl had responded to anyone's texts and even if she did, there was no way she'd told the boy the truth about what happened to her. Betty was not looking forward to being in the impossible situation of either betraying Veronica's trust and telling Archie the truth, or lying to her oldest and closest friend and keeping him in the dark about a girl she knew he cared deeply for.

Sighing, Betty slipped down the stairs as quickly as possible, buttoning the final buttons on her shirt as she descended. The last thing she needed was Alice Cooper answering the door and interrogating Archie or slipping in a snide comment.

The young Cooper was shocked when she opened her front door to reveal Veronica Lodge herself standing on her front porch looking uncharacteristically small. Her posture was defensive, her arms were crossed protectively in front of her chest but in the interest of fairness it was a very cold morning. It wasn't unusual for the socialite to adorn dark colors but instead of a dress, today the shorter girl donned tight black skinny jeans and similar to Betty, a dark maroon button down shirt covered by her signature black coat. It did not go unnoticed by the observant blonde that once again, no part of Veronica's skin was visible aside from her face. She still looked breathtaking, as Veronica Lodge always did, but the girl was sure to get some comments on her sudden change in style. The blonde made a mental note to steer them away from hallways where she knew Cheryl hung out between classes. Betty was tragically impressed by the magnificent job Veronica had done covering the bruises, scratches, and hickies that had been so visible to her the previous night.

Betty was snapped out of her internal analysis of her friend when her eyes traveled back up to her face to see raised eyebrows. It occurred to the Cooper then that she'd seen Veronica's mouth moving, but hadn't actually heard a single word that came out of it.

"I'm sorry, what did you say V? I zoned out."

Veronica huffed playfully at her and subconsciously dropped her arms from her sides. "Get your head out of the clouds Cooper and let's get going."

"Wasn't I supposed to be the chivalrous one and walk _you_ to school?" Betty teased, opening her front door and gesturing for her friend to come inside.

"I got an early start this morning and I figured I'd save you the walk," she answered smoothly. Betty had a feeling it was more than that but decided to let it go for the time being.

When it became obvious that Veronica was deliberately ignoring her physical queues to come inside and get out of the cold, the blonde said, "I'm almost done getting ready I just need to grab a sweater. Come inside it's freezing out here."

The brunette was already shaking her head, "That's okay Bets, I'll wait out here. I d-don't mind."

The taller girl was unimpressed with her friend's fib as she could see her visibly trembling from the cold. The brunette's teeth were chattering so badly that it had caused her to stutter on her words.

"V just come inside, I'll be quick," she implored.

A look flashed through chocolate eyes and Betty's green orbs filled with understanding as she recognized the emotion and guessed the root of her best friend's hesitance.

"My Dad already left for The Register this morning," she explained in her gentlest tone. "You won't see him."

The visible relief that passed over the shorter girl's body made Betty's heart ache in the most painful of ways.

Nodding to herself, Veronica stepped into the threshold of the Cooper house and tried to convince herself that her cheeks were red from the sudden temperature change and not from embarrassment.

As promised, the blonde practically raced up the stairs and threw on the first sweater she saw. She gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror and returned to her guest who was sitting at her kitchen table staring intently at the table cloth.

"V?" she said softly, not wanting to scare the other girl.

But her efforts were fruitless and the sudden noise caused the brunette to startle so badly she jumped out of her seat. Her facial expression morphed into a grimace and once again Betty fought the urge to take Veronica to a doctor or at the very least see for herself how badly the other girl was hurt.

"Ronnie I don't know if school is the best idea today. I could have my Mom call us both in sick," Betty offered.

"No, I want to go to school, there's no reason not to."

"Ronnie… Come on."

"Betty please, don't."

"Please don't what?" The journalist demanded. "Please don't disrupt your plan of pretending that what Chuck did to you didn't happen?"

The silence she was met with encouraged her to continue.

"We need to tell someone. Someone like Sheriff Keller who can put him away. That's the only way that you're going to feel safe again."

The New Yorker flinched violently at the suggestion. "That's not an option Betty."

"And why's that?"

"Because he's the golden boy of this town and I'm the new girl with the fraudulent, criminal father. No one would ever believe me over him."

"Well it's not exactly your word against his," Betty said incredulously. "V, you have deep, painful-looking bruises on your _face_ not to mention whatever you're hiding under those clothes. And if I know you, you put up a fight. There's no way Chuck walked away without so much as a scratch. That's evidence. That's proof and that's enough for the police to arrest him.

Veronica's mind was flooded with all kinds of reasons why it was a bad idea to turn to the police, especially considering she hadn't even decided if she was going to tell her Mom yet. Telling the police meant everyone would find out in this tiny town. And she hadn't yet decided if she wanted anyone besides Betty to know, much less the entire town. But seeing the hopeful and justice-seeking innocence in the blonde's hypnotizing green eyes, the brunette found herself agreeing to consider the idea and in turn, Betty conceded to going to school if it meant that much to Veronica.

The two left the Cooper house with barley enough time to not be marked late. Luckily, because they were running behind schedule, almost all of the other students had already settled into their homeroom classes which allowed the girls to dodge Archie and Jughead, and Cheryl Blossom or any other river vixens that might've commented on Veronica's style change.

Much to Betty and Veronica's dismay, the pair didn't have the same homeroom and were forced to separate.

"I'm serious Veronica, if this is too much for you even for one second, we're going back to your place and watching movies and eating ice cream," she warned sternly.

And God if that wasn't the most tempting offer the raven haired girl had ever heard in that moment. But she needed to prove to herself that she was okay, that she could still function and that Chuck Clayton was nothing to her and the other night was all a distant nightmare.

"I promise B. Everything's going to be fine." As if to prove her point, the shorter cheerleader stood up on her toes and pressed a delicate kiss to the corner of the blonde's mouth which earned a deep blush from both parties. Veronica stared after Betty until the blonde disappeared from her sight; only then did she turn on her heel and step into homeroom.

 **Hi first I just wanted to say that you guys are SUPER AMAZING AND YOUR REVIEWS MADE MY DAY. All of you guys are incredible and I wanted to give a special shout out to Coatlicue and JustCallMeGirlFriday because you've both been so supportive and helpful from the very first chapter to this one. If you haven't read their stuff you should right now (Coatlicue writes amazing Riverdale stories and JCMGF has some really good Glee ones) because they're both sooo talented. And of course all of guest reviews too, you guys are the absolute best.**

 **I've started the next chapter but I have to leave to go back to college soon so I'm trying to get as much done as I can before things get too crazy.**

 **SO what did you think of the flashback and do we want to see more of them from that night?**

 **I personally adore Archie and Jughead so I'll be involving them soon. I haven't decided yet if either of the boys will make a play for our girls or if it'll be platonic so you have a preference now would be the time to let me know.**

 **I'm trying to update at least once a week so you'll hear from me soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

Much to Veronica's chagrin, she only lasted a measly 15 minutes in homeroom before the tightness of her skin and the fear currently strangling her airway made it unbearable. Her homeroom class happened to be calculus, which she shared with Archie. The positive was that their teacher, Mr. Parks, was very strict and didn't allow talking in his classroom during the lesson. And like every other strict high school teacher, he used assigned seats; Veronica luckily sat next to a nameless girl who kept to herself. Archie sat three rows behind her and one seat to her left; the pair spent most mornings sitting together until their teacher began to take attendance and they were forced to sit in their separate seats. Due to the raven haired girl's tardiness this morning, she'd be able to avoid the ginger before the start of class.

She knew that her best guy friend was worried. Even though she'd been very detached from her phone as of late, she was sure that the boy had blown hers up with messages and calls after she missed school with no warning. Archie was sweet and deserved an explanation, she knew that; but she wasn't quite ready to tell her story to anyone who wasn't Betty Cooper.

As hard as she was trying to maintain her inner mantra that everything was fine and she could handle this, the scent of male cologne burned her nostrils and their innocuous laughter made her skin crawl. Her heart was beating so harshly that the brunette feared for her health. She had to get out of there. Veronica could feel Archie's curious and soul-searching eyes trying to pierce through her during the lesson; she was sure to be bombarded with questions the second Mr. Parks dismissed them.

Sucking in a deep breath, Veronica gathered her school supplies and her courage, dumping the former into her bag and standing up swiftly. It wasn't unusual for students to slip quietly out of a classroom to use the bathroom but carrying all of possessions certainly would trigger an interrogation from her teacher.

"And just where are you headed, Miss Lodge?" Mr. Parks asked sarcastically.

"I'm not feeling well, I'm going to the nurse," Veronica answered, not entirely lying. She attempted to project the confidence that she usually could summon easily but today she just felt meek and vulnerable, two things she never allowed herself to be unless she was in the safety of her own home and very much alone.

She could tell that the older, balding man wanted to argue but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by another student.

"I'll take her to the nurse, Mr. Parks," Archie offered.

Without waiting for a reply from the older man, the ginger threw his stuff together at lightning speed and was out of his seat before anyone had a chance to protest. His eyebrows were knit together in what could only be extreme concern and Veronica felt a small part of her melt. As the tall boy walked past her to open the door into the hallway, a rush of relief passed over Veronica; his cologne was ever-present and yet the smell did not make her sick; if anything it provided the same safety and comfort that Archie had always brought with him.

Part of Veronica was sort of devastated by the revelation that she was in love with Betty. She wasn't blind; she could see the way Archie looked at her. The redheaded boy was a gentleman through and through; he was musical, thoughtful, kind. He was everything her father and even her mother could want for her. Hell, there was a time when he was exactly what she wanted for herself. But Veronica's head was filled to the brim with thoughts of Betty now. The other cheerleader was by no stretch of the imagination in any kind of non-platonic relationship with her and already she could see a future together.

Predictably, as soon as they were alone, the ginger rounded on her; he reached out with one hand and gently wrapped in around Veronica's wrist to halt her movements. She expected herself to react harshly, as she had to every touch and near-touch she'd received since the attacked but to her utmost relief, she did not.

"Ronnie what's going on? Where have you been?" he questioned lowly.

"Archie…" Veronica trailed off. She didn't want to hurt the boy's feelings or lie to him but she wasn't ready to explain what happened to her either.

"Why haven't you been answering my calls?" He asked, his voice getting even softer.

A part of Veronica wished that Archie was a little less perfect, a little less handsome and understanding. That would have made it so easy to tell the boy to fuck off or to mind his own business. But here, standing in front of a man who had only ever been kind to her, Veronica found the words stuck in her throat. The lies she'd spent all night conjuring, in case a situation exactly list this arose today, felt like rocks in her mouth.

"Something happened," she blurted out. "The other night and I can't talk about it right now. Please understand."

"What?" He asked, bewildered. "Ronnie, I'm your friend you can talk to me."

"I know Archie but I'm just not ready," she pleaded for him to understand.

It looked as if the boy were adding up equations in his head as he tried to piece together her clues. Understanding passed through his eyes followed by a menacing, dark look.

"The other night as in when you went out with Chuck Clayton?" He demanded. "What did he do?"

"Archie please, let it go," Tears leaked out of the cheerleader's eyes. This could not be happening right now. She knew that Archie wasn't dumb but never in her wildest dreams could she have predicted that he'd put together her extremely vague explanation with her style change and the truth or something very close to it.

"Ronnie did he…" Archie dropped his voice to a whisper. "Did he hurt you?"

Shame flooded through the Lodge's system. Was she not able to do anything right? Could she not keep this one thing to herself?

Her lack of answer was enough for Archie. His felt pure and absolute rage build up in his system at the thought of the other jock harming one of his closest friends. He felt fiercely protective over Veronica from the very first time he's seen her in Pop's. Unable to find a suitable target for his incumbent rage, he smashed his fist against the nearest locker, earning a sickening crack, a flow of red blood, and a dent in the locker itself.

"Archie," Veronica yelped in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly as he wrapped his hand in his jacket. When he saw the fearful look in her eyes he cursed himself for putting it there with his thoughtless and violent actions.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently. As startled as she'd been by the sudden punch, she was overwhelmed by the idea that Archie was so angry at the fact that someone had hurt her that he'd very well just broken his hand. For her.

Boys would throw themselves at Veronica back in New York and girls would bend over backwards to try and win her affections but somehow it never felt as genuine as Betty's concern or Archie's current protectiveness. This was something she'd never had before Riverdale.

This was special.

"I'm fine," he said, grimacing.

Veronica laughed lightly. "Looks like _I'll_ be taking _you_ to the nurse, Andrews."

The ginger boy chuckled lightly. "Thanks Ronnie. I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you I just, I was so angry at the idea that –"

"I know," she cut him off softly. "I've never had anyone care about me the way you and Betty do."

"Jughead thinks you of as a sister," Archie informed her. "He just doesn't know how to show it. He's going to be livid when he finds out. You might have to call in the secret service to keep me and Jug from killing Clayton next time we see him."

"Whoa, when he finds out?" Veronica repeated in disbelief. "Archie no one else is finding you. Hell, you weren't even supposed to find out."

The broad shouldered boy recoiled a little bit at the statement, slightly hurt that his friend hadn't wanted to tell him.

But Veronica was as observant as ever and caught the wounded look in his eyes, "Arch it's not personal. I didn't want anyone to know. I still don't."

"You wanted Betty to know," he accused.

Crap. Veronica had hoped that this was a conversation she could procrastinate, hopefully forever. While the football player had certainly never been accused of being the most observant person in the world, this conversation definitely altered the raven haired girl's perception of him. Veronica herself was still coming to terms with her feelings for the blonde so it seemed very improbable that anyone else had caught on but then again, perhaps she wasn't as discrete as she once thought.

The Latina had always prided herself on being able to read other people. On the rare chance that someone was not interested in Veronica, she could always see the signs. If she was reading this correctly, and Archie did have feelings for her, then of course he'd be paying close attention to her and her interactions with others; probably trying to determine if he should roll the dice and confess his feelings.

"She didn't exactly give me a choice. She came to my apartment and she saw," the girl faltered, realizing that her injuries had given her away to Betty and she had just put her foot in her mouth once again.

"Saw…?"

"If I promise to talk about this with you later, can I please take you to the nurse now?"

Archie sighed, disappointed with Veronica's lack of desire to open up to him. Granted, the school hallway wasn't the most ideal place for a heart to heart and he knew that, but it felt like there was something greater at play. The musician had been aware that his feelings for the new girl had grown past the line of platonic and now he was stuck. He loved his friends, both of them. He'd already broken Betty's heart – a fact that he carried around with him every day – and he was not about to do it again. When she was ready to date again, if Veronica chose Betty, then he would try to find the grace to be happy for them.

The boy nodded his agreement and trailed after the New Yorker, who had already begun their walk down the corridor and to the nurse's office.

* * *

Betty was worried. She was a worrier. She worried about Polly the entire time she was at the Sisters', she was worried about Jughead and all his drama with his Dad –not to mention that boy's growing attraction to his red haired best friend, a fact he'd confided in the blonde just a few days prior – and she was especially worried about Veronica. She'd made the other girl promise to text or call if she was feeling overwhelmed or needed her and based on the state the short girl had been in this morning, Betty had a hard time believing that the other girl's day was without struggle.

She checked her phone for the 10th time that minute and frowned when the lock screen remained blank. In the middle of her teacher's lecture, a loud thud echoed in the hallway and earned the attention of her classmates. All eyes, including the teacher's, went to the door and then slowly drifted back to the chalkboard.

A sinking feeling bubbled in Betty's stomach.

"Can I be excused please?"

Without waiting for a reply, good girl Betty bolted from her seat. She stepped into the hallway just in time to see a head of red hair and lettermans jacket disappear around the corner and the unmistakable click of what could only be Veronica Lodge's heels. She tried to ignore the low boil of jealousy that burned her insides at the thought of Archie being the one to comfort her crush.

When the rational part of her brain regained control, she relaxed her muscles and returned to her classroom. She trusted Archie; he had been her _best friend_ since _childhood._ If she didn't trust him to look after Veronica, who could she trust? And if Veronica found it within herself to have faith in the boy, then for the sake of her recovery she vowed to be more understanding. Not seeing any point in chasing after them, Betty quickly composed herself and made her way back to the classroom. As she expected, she was met with the unimpressed glance of her teacher and the curious ones of her classmates.

* * *

30 minutes later Archie's hand was bandaged and currently had a make shift ice pack pressed up against the agitated area.

After several stern glares from both the nurse and the brunette Archie had most assuredly learned his lesson and wouldn't be punching any more metal surfaces any time soon.

"Can I walk you to your next class?" Archie proposed. He tested his new restricted flexibility and flexed his hand. The surge of pain he felt caused him to immediately regret it and he lowered the arm once again.

"I actually think I'm gonna call it a day. I'm feeling…kinda dizzy," Veronica answered, sounding a bit off.

This set off alarm bells in Archie's head. Seeing how out of it the other girl seemed: her eyes were oddly unfocused and her normally golden brown seemed to overtaken by the dark black of her pupils . Her balance was sub-par, which was strange considering how athletic she was. The tall boy wasn't sure what was wrong but something about letting her off on her own in her questionable state didn't sit right with him. As subtly as he could, he texted Betty with his one good hand and braced the phone best he was able.

 **Something wrong with V. Can u come get her?**

Before he even had time to lock his phone and put it back in the pocket of his lettermen's jacket, he saw the telltale sign of a reply in the form of three grey dots.

 **Of course. Where is she?**

Archie sighed with relief. Betty had taken a babysitting and CPR course one summer so that she could babysit for one of their neighbors down the street. Granted it was nothing close to medical attention, but Archie figured that the blonde had enough sense to know if Veronica needed more help than she could provide. At the very least, he hadn't felt right about leaving her on her own and now he didn't have to worry about that.

 **East corridor by the nurses.** He replied.

 **On my way**

"Hey Ronnie can we sit for a second? This whole broken hand thing is taking more out of me than I thought," He fibbed. He wanted her to sit down, just in case. The normally very tan girl's skin had turned a few shades paler. Not enough to warrant panic but definitely enough that he was concerned and he was sure that Betty would be as well.

Veronica seemed confused by the request, but nonetheless she sat down on the bench next to her friend and held her head in her hands.

"Headache?" he asked softly.

The raven-haired girl nodded. "Something like that."

Archie grimaced at the pain he was sure that Veronica was experiencing, wishing he could take it away. He reached behind her back and rubbed feather light circles on back in an effort to soothe her.

Not even a full 5 minutes later, Betty Cooper came charging down the hall and raced toward them. Archie wasn't positive but he could have sworn that the cheerleader was wearing a scowl when her eyes landed on the two of them together.

As soon as she was close enough to her two friends, she knelt down so that she was eye level with the shorter girl and all the annoyance he'd seen on her face was wiped away and replaced with fear.

"Ronnie? What's wrong sweetheart?" Betty asked in her gentlest voice. She carefully pried Veronica's hands off of her head and met her eyes for a clue as to what could be bothering Veronica.

Archie was amazed by how quickly Betty shifted from annoyed to concerned. It was as if the blonde had never had feelings for him; it seemed as if she only had eyes for Veronica. The intensity of Betty's concern made the jock wonder briefly if the entire thing had been in his head because he couldn't imagine _this_ Betty ever feeling this way for him. Or anyone else, for that matter.

"My head," she mumbled.

"Are the lights bothering you?" Betty pressed. She tucked a raven lock delicately behind the shorter girl's ear.

She nodded sadly.

"Okay," Betty assessed. "We're gonna get you home."

Veronica's relief at the suggestion was visible. With Archie's help, she stood up from the bench and tucked herself into under Betty's arm, the other encircling her waist for balance.

"Thanks for the text Arch," Betty whispered, cognizant of Veronica's headache.

The redhead was still a little stunned by the PDA the two girls were showing but he recovered quickly. "Of course. Keep me updated on how she's doing?"

Betty nodded her answer, offered him a grateful smile, and then pulled Veronica carefully along with her out the backdoor of the building. Because they'd walked, she didn't need to worry about having to leave through the parking lot and possibly being spotted by security. Unfortunately, because they walked, they now had to walk all the way back to Pembrooke, which was less than ideal on account of the younger girl's deteriorating condition.

As they walked along in silence, Betty wracked her brain for what could be wrong with the girl. It made sense for her to be feeling unwell or uncomfortable but the light sweat she'd broken into, the unfocused eyes, and the dizziness/confusing were all major causes for concern. Because Veronica had yet to offer her a more complete picture of what exactly had gone down between her and Chuck, she was unsure as to what was actually wrong.

Deciding it was best to wait and push for answers in a more controlled setting, Betty tried to best to –without exacerbating her discomfort – get Veronica home as quickly as possible, before things got worse.

 **Hi sorry for the delay, I'm packing my stuff to go back to college tomorrow and it's taking a lot more time than anticipated. But I've already started the next chapter so hopefully school won't get in the way too much. Any guesses as to what's wrong with V?**

 **Thank you everyone for reading! Let me know what you think :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Long time no see guys! It's tough out there when Riverdale truthfully gets worse every single day. I'm mostly pretending like season 3 is not happening but eventually I will be incorporating some elements of the storylines – the ones I find bearable anyway. You guys left some super sweet comments on chapter 5 so I wanted to say thank you so much and I appreciate you all.**

 **So I'm in the middle of finals at the moment and I really be studying for them so I can graduate college but instead I'm here, writing non-school related stuff. The point is, I haven't edited the second half of this chapter so I'm hoping there aren't are errors too egregious.**

Veronica could barely get her feet to cooperate with her mind long enough for the walk home. She felt like there had to be some kind of disconnect between her brain and her body; like she knew what she was asking it to do but all the directions were being shouted at her underwater. If Betty was talking to her at all on the walk home, she had absolutely no comprehension of what was said. Veronica had even tried to explain that to Betty but she found that, unsurprisingly, her mouth was also refusing to oblige.

To say that the blonde was worried was an understatement. The closer they got to Pembrooke, the less responsive the shorter girl was to her attempts to keep her engaged. The arm that was around the brunette was clenched into a tight fist as she tried to keep the stress and worry she was consumed by from showing on her face.

When they finally, _finally,_ reached Veronica's apartment, Betty dug through the ill girl's purse, located the key, and ushered them both inside. She deposited the brunette on the couch and pressed the back of her hand against the usually tan girl's forehead.

"V you're burning up," Betty announced worriedly. She removed her hand from warm skin and rested it carefully on Veronica's covered arm and gave it a gentle squeeze, hoping to earn the other girl's attention.

The New Yorker's eyes continued to be unfocused and Betty wasn't sure how much of what she was saying Veronica was truly understanding. She sighed to herself, her worry climbing higher but not wanting to spook her crush, she tried to keep her expression blank.

There was something so familiar about these symptoms. Betty felt like she should definitely remember what they meant; she was sure she'd learned about them before either from her crash course in safety or from high school but she couldn't quite place what exactly was wrong. She figured her best bet was to try and get Veronica to provide details about that night with Chuck and maybe something in her story would spark an explanation. Either way the taller girl knew she needed to do something and quick.

She rose from her position in front of Veronica and wandered into the kitchen. She took an ice pack from the freezer and poured a glass of ice water for herself and her patient. When she returned to the living room, she found Veronica had laid down on the couch but instead of sprawling across it and occupying as much space as her slim figure would allow, she was curled in on herself. Her head was buried under one of her arms, as if to block out any light. Seeing this, Betty returned to the front door to double check that it was locked and turned off the lights in the living room just in case they were what was upsetting her friend.

"Ronnie can you sit up?" Betty requested gently. "For me?"

The raven-haired girl groaned at the suggestion but obliged. The blonde delicately placed the ice pack on her feverish head and forced the ice water into her steadier hand which Veronica squeezed as tightly as she could.

"Drink," she ordered calmly. "I promise it'll make you feel better."

In actuality, Betty had no idea if it would actually do anything to assuage the pain the other girl was currently experiencing but water was usually a safe bet to at the very least, not make things worse. Veronica didn't question the order and brought the freezing glass up to her lips and took slow sips.

Not even a full minute later, a panicked expression dominated Veronica's chocolate eyes and contorted her face. She set the ice water down as quickly as she could, ripped the ice pack off of her forehead and darted into the bathroom. She slammed the door shut behind her in an attempt to dissuade the blonde from following her but it was to no avail. Seconds later Betty stormed into the bathroom hot on her heels. The young Cooper made a move to close the bathroom door but hesitated, keeping it open in order to keep airflow in the room.

By that time the smaller girl was hunched over the toilet, heaving into the water. The violent retching was undoubtedly the most horrible and heartbreaking thing she'd heard. She remained frozen on the spot for just seconds before darting down onto her own knees, gathering a handful of raven locks, and putting them in a pony tail with the spare hair tie that resided on her wrist at all times. In an attempt to help pacify her, Betty started to rub Veronica's back, only to be met with a tear-jerking flinch. Clearly the other girl hadn't seen the touch coming and couldn't tell who it was from which caused her to fly away from the hand. The harsh movement was more than Veronica's already tormented body could take.

Just when Betty thought her heart could break no more for the girl she knew to be her best friend, it cracked into even smaller pieces. She noticed a particularly dark purplish bruise on the base of Veronica's neck that was undoubtedly a very painfully acquired hickey; it was clear that Veronica had put concealer on the bruise earlier but it had rubbed off during the day or perhaps because of the sweating.

Tears poured out of chocolate eyes at an alarming rate and Betty couldn't help but think of how impossibly young she looked in that moment. She steeled herself to try and help Veronica as opposed to allowing herself to get swept up in how tragic the situation truly was.

"V I want to help you but I can't unless you tell me what's wrong."

It took everything in the journalist not to reach for Veronica again and pull her into the safety of her arms but touch was clearly not something she was seeking at the moment and Betty forced herself to respect that.

Betty's plea was met with silence and it took everything in her not to freak out. A silent Veronica was not something she was used to and therefore wasn't sure how to handle it.

"I'm really starting to freak out a little," she tried to keep the possible hysteria out of her voice. "I need you to talk to me or I'm taking you to a hospital."

"No!" she yelped. "N-no hospital."

A tidal wave of guilt washed over the blonde as she saw how much her suggestion had upset the sick girl.

"What hurts?" She prompted. She scooted a little bit closer to the other girl but still gave her as much space as the Pembrooke bathroom would allow.

The raven haired girl rested her head on the side of bathtub; she finally felt strong enough to push away from the gross toilet. Not wanting the smell, she flushed and sat back letting her body sag boneless against the porcelain.

"My head," she mumbled miserably. "I'm so nauseous B."

Betty felt her heart shrink to the size of a grain of salt at the thought of Veronica in pain and her being unable to help.

Nauseous .

The word triggered something in her mind: nausea, fever, dizziness. A concussion! Archie had taken a particularly hard hit during a junior high football game; at the time, his parents were both still living in Riverdale and his mother had raced onto the field, crying and concerned. Archie had stood up, thrown up, and then insisted that he felt fine. Despite the boy's reassurances, his mother had taken him to see a doctor who checked him out thoroughly, cleared Archie, even. But his mother had still insisted that he wake up every hour on the hour to make sure that he was doing okay.

"Ronnie," Betty offered carefully. "Did you…hit your head? After your…Chuck?"

Veronica's head snapped over to the blonde's, as if she said something amazing. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was still too shallow for Betty's peace of mind.

"Yeah, pretty hard actually," she admitted slowly. Betty was overwhelmingly relieved that the other girl was finally responding normally and seemingly comprehending what she was saying to her.

"I think," Betty paused, trying to find the right words. "I think you might have a concussion and I think we should make sure."

Veronica's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to argue but Betty rushed to finish before Veronica could interrupt.

"I just want to be sure, that's all."

"I get that Betty but if I go to the hospital, looking like I look…" she trailed off, breaking the eye contact she had been making before she could get sucked into the blue eyes she loved so much.

"Not…necessarily honey," Betty said carefully. "We could tell them it was an accident if it really came down to it but I think that if you tell them it was a concussion from cheer practice but you don't have any other injuries, I don't think that they would have a reason to ask you to take off your clothes."

Veronica seemed to be processing the information slowly; another sign that reaffirmed Betty's suspicious that she had a concussion.

"I, I don't" Veronica huffed, seemingly frustrated with herself.

"Hey," Betty breathed out, "I'll stay with you the whole time."

The first real grin she'd had in days worked its way onto her face and she nodded.

"Deal."

* * *

Betty helped Veronica up off the floor and requested Veronica's set of keys to her father's car. He'd told her on more than one occasion that if it were an emergency, she was welcome to borrow one of his cars. Granted, all that was before they lost all their money but Hiram Lodge still owned two cars, both of which were kept in the Pembrooke and he certainly wouldn't be needing them from jail.

The two girls made their way over to the garage and Betty's slipped into the driver's seat. She drove as carefully as physically possible, afraid to make Veronica's nausea worse. One of the few advantages to staying in such a small town like Riverdale was that nothing was especially far away, the hospital was a maybe 8 minute drive away but because the teens had gone in the middle of the day, there was virtually no one on the roads and they made it in about 6.

Betty shut her car door exceptionally quietly before slipping around to the other side and helping the other cheerleader out of the car, carefully not to press down on what she was sure were bruised forearms. The taller girl let Veronica dictate their pace as they made their way to the front entrance. The hospital was predictably not especially busy and they were greeted right away by a much too cheery nurse at the front desk.

The nurse took their preliminary information, asking what the ailment was and asking for Veronica's insurance information. Betty was still wearing what she had worn to school, giving her the appearance of someone who might be older than a high schooler but Riverdale was such a small city that the nurse strongly suspected that the two girls were students at Riverdale High.

"I need to call your parents," the nurse said apologetically.

"I'm over eighteen," Veronica denied, offering her id to the woman in scrubs.

Betty's eyebrows shot up to the top of her forehead because she knew that Veronica Lodge was most definitely _not_ eighteen years old. Obviously her times as a New York socialite had paid off as she had not only a fake ID, but a fake ID that was really her, with a modified age. The nurse looked skeptical but nodded all the same, making copies of her information.

The young nurse finished taking all of Veronica's info and she offered nods and shakes as answers to the preliminary questions that the woman asked her. To her credit, the nurse did not seem fazed whatsoever by Veronica's lack of verbal replies. The blonde next to her remained a silent support system, ready to jump in on the off chance that Veronica gave an incorrect or downplayed answer.

"Okay, I think that's all the information I need from you, Dr. Palmer will be along shortly."

"Thank you," Betty said sincerely.

The nurse led the two girls into one of the many rooms and shut the door behind them.

"How you doing, V?" Betty asked quietly.

Veronica nodded in response, looking much worse for wear. She wanted to communicate somehow to Betty how fucking grateful she was for the blonde. Betty was taking such good care of her and being so considerate that the rave haired girl could cry. No one in her life had ever been so kind to her before without expecting anything in return. Everything from going out of her way to avoid the potholes in the road to keep from jostling her to keeping her voice as low as possible, mindful of her concussion.

Much to her own embarrassment, Veronica's eyes filled with tears, overwhelmed by how much she loved the girl in front of her. She was so grateful for Betty's careful hovering, close enough that she felt protected for the first time since her attack but not so close that she felt crowded or trapped by her presence. The other cheerleader's soft touch kept Veronica grounded and in the moment, and was a welcome distraction from the violent rebellion her stomach was currently leading.

"Are you okay, what hurts?" Betty questioned quickly, trying to quell the panic she felt welling up seeing tears in Veronica's eyes.

The New Yorker shook her head, "No, B. Good tears. You're just…so good to me, I don't deserve it."

"Ronnie," she smiled, that 'you're so hopeless smile on her face.' "You -"

"Hi girls," she greeted warmly. The doctor was pretty with dark brown hair and matching chocolate eyes; she wore fashionable boots along with a dark blouse and black pants, complete with a white doctor's coat on top of it all. She looked like she was in her late 30's and her presence was soothing and unobtrusive – Betty liked her right away. Veronica was too busy being relieved that the doctor wasn't a man and battling her immense desire to throw up all over the floor.

"I'm Dr. Palmer. My nurse mentioned that you were here for what you believe to be a concussion?" she trailed off the question, eyes rising from the chart currently in her hand to study the two teenage girls in front of her.

Veronica nodded quietly.

Sensing the girls were not in the mood to talk, Dr. Palmer expedited the conversation. "Alright Veronica, let's take you to the lab for some scans okay?"

The rave haired girl stood from the exam room bed and hopped down, wincing as she went. Betty wanted to follow the two down the hall but she knew that she wouldn't be allowed in the room. She squeezed Veronica's hand tightly and whispered reassurances in her ear. "I'll be here when you get back."

The doctor returned much sooner than either girl expected.

"Well it's definitely a concussion," she announced quietly. The brunette stuck Veronica's brain scan on the board in the room and switched on the light behind it so that the two girls would be able to follow along with that she was trying to show them.

"There's clearly a lot of swelling here," The doctor continued, analyzing the two teenage girls sitting before her as she gestured to certain parts of the brain. "But it's not all bad news. Often times head injuries mimic the symptoms of exhaustion. You mentioned you haven't been sleeping well recently?"

Veronica gave the slightest nod in confirmation. Upon seeing she wasn't planning to continue, Betty stepped in. "She hasn't slept, like at all. Not for the past two nights."

"Veronica," the doctor admonished. "Especially for someone battling a concussion, you need all the rest you can get."

"I know, I'll do better," she promised quietly. Her fingers danced up and down along her arm, ghosting over a heavy bruise that only she knew was there.

Dr. Palmer seemed like she wanted to press the issue but bit her lip and nodded. She offered Betty a meaningful look and pulled the scan off of the board.

"I'm gonna write you a script for an antibiotic to help you kick the fever. As I'm sure you know, there really isn't anything I can prescribe you for a concussion except drink lots of liquids, wear sunglasses outside, be careful not to overdo it, and be wary of bright lights and loud noises. If your fever doesn't go down in the next few days, come back and see me." She finished. "Do you two have any questions?"

"Actually," Betty began. "I was wondering if, hypothetically -"

"Nope, no questions," Veronica cut her off, squeezing Betty's hand tightly in her own. "Thank you for your time."

Dr. Palmer looked confused by the exchange but nodded all the same. She wrote down the name of the antibiotic, ripped the piece of paper from her pad and handed it to Veronica's outstretched hand.

"Call me anytime," The doctor said with a motherly half smile. She then stood from her stool and left the two girls alone.

Once Betty was confident that the doctor was out of hearing range, she turned to her best friend.

"Veronica I really think we should ask about… plan B."


End file.
